The Next Winner Of The Shuting Qiu Award

Forbes

a day ago

The final collection from Annaëlle Reudink, the newest winner of the Shuting Qiu Award presented in Antwerp
All eyes are on Annaëlle Reudink, the newest winner of the Shuting Qiu Award. Presented at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, the award is given to a student for their innovation and artistry, reflecting the joy and creativity of the Shuting Qiu brand.
'From the viewpoint of how she combines shape, color, and textures, Annaëlle's work is really impressive,' said Qiu, herself a graduate of the BA and MA programs on a call from Shanghai. Since 2024, she has been supporting students from her alma mater with a financial stipend. She had to miss this year's event as she is holding a pop-up in the city's historic destination Zhangyuan.
'Annaëlle invites you into this immersive world that I can see is based on an obsession with research and fabrication,' Qiu explained.
The respect from Reudink is mutual who called winning "a full circle moment' as she remembers seeing Shuting Qiu's final collection on display at the annual Academy exhibition years ago. (Attending is a near rite of passage for any would-be students). 'I was so amazed by how Shuting combined colors, details, and prints. It was really beautiful,' Reudink said after the ceremony.
Shuting Qiu's pop-up in Shanghai's historic destination Zhangyuan. A former graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, the brand sponsors an annual award at the Belgian arts academy.
Still reeling from the four-hour runway show, and the ceremony the following morning, the graduate certainly had her hard work rewarded. In addition to winning the Chinese award on 8 June 2025, Reudink scooped the Rosier41 Award and the €5000 offered by the Christine Mathys Award (Mathys was the cofounder of Dries Van Noten). Not only that, she was a joint winner of the MoMu Award and the University of Antwerp/Flanders DC Award.
Living in Antwerp with her parents and 3 siblings, Reudink zooms in from her studio—which is actually converted from the family living-room. They kindly allowed her to take over and it's where she slept on the couch for a year—often for as little as 2 hours a night. Family life has been integral to her design journey. Finding an old Mother's Day card she made as a child set her on an obsessive course of drafting toiles and intensive research so she could replicate the childish folded pop-up paper technique in fabric. She spent much of her childhood crocheting; this whimsical handcraft forms the basis of much of the 11 looks in her final collection (her mum even helped out with the stitching).
Annaëlle Reudink used crochet to form the basis of her voluminous graduate collection in Antwerp
On the runway, Reudink's idiosyncratic vision exploded in a psychedelic blast of colors, patterns, and embellishments colliding with daring silhouettes, unexpected volumes, and intense textures. Historical references clashed with contemporary styling like a giant twist of her imaginary kaleidoscope. A true artist, she talks of 'getting lost in her work' and a love of obsessive, deep research—which was her starting point. 'I did a lot of research and started making the clothes very late in the process because I have all these sketchbooks brimming with drawings and research,' she described.
This intense research is encouraged by the Academy. Brandon Wen, creative director of the fashion department in 2023, said Reudink was the ideal winner for the Chinese award. 'I know that Shuting was considering Annaëlle as her winner last year so seeing her collection this year was a confirmation that she was the right fit for her brand aesthetic,' said Wen.
Annaëlle Reudink at the exhibition of the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
Since her graduation in 2019, Hangzhou-born Qiu's trademark takes on classic Chinese culture through traditional fabrics like brocade jacquard, and embroidery, has seen this aesthetic develop a cult following with global visibility and recognition.
Now Qiu, who is passionate about supporting the young generations from the Academy, wants her patronage to 'encourage students to move forward' in the ultra-competitive fashion sector. She's developing a keen eye for talent too: The inaugural prize went to Japan's Moé Kuwano, now at COMME des GARÇONS. 'I always feel touched when I see the graduation show. I can feel the creativity, passion, and dreams for the students—it's a very inspiring moment.'
So what's next for Reudink? Taking a well-earned break. With time on her side, she's not rushing into anything (just yet). The prize money will be set aside, possibly to invest in her own brand when the time comes. 'I've always said I wanted to take a month or two off to think about it and cool down from everything because you live in such a bubble, you know? I'll see what comes my way. If I can do something creative every day, I will be super happy.'
At a time of unprecedented generational uncertainty, Reudink's winning optimism is evident in the mantra she lives by and is sound advice for anyone: 'Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.'
Annaëlle Reudink's love of embellishment including embroidery can be seen in her final collection presented in Antwerp